Assessing The Triglyceride/Hdl-Cholesterol Ratio As A Surrogate For Insulin Resistance And Its Link To The Metabolic Syndrome In Hispanics And African-Americans

Findings from earlier clinical studies indicated that the triglycerides/HDL-cholesterol ratio (Tri/HDL) is a practical surrogate for insulin resistance (IR) and a suitable means to approximate the activity of many associated components of the metabolic syndrome (MS). However, analyses of later-gathered data implied that despite utility in American-Caucasians, the ratio is a lesser proxy for IR particularly in African-Americans and to some extent in Hispanics. To gain further understanding, data were obtained from healthy Hispanic (n=462) and African-American (n=124) subjects who had participated in previous clinical trials. Tri/HDL as a surrogate for IR in Hispanics generally resembles findings established in American-Caucasians. For African-Americans, use as a surrogate is more limited. While the values show that Tri/HDL correlates significantly with fasting blood glucose in African-Americans indicating a reliable marker for IR, further associations with elements of MS were generally lacking—most likely due to a different generalized metabolic response to IR in African-Americans.